Post by Stephany on Aug 14, 2007 17:01:52 GMT
Hi everyone,
'The Hull Daily Mail' posted an interesting article on August 11, 2007. Here it is
Best wishes,
Stephany
'The Hull Daily Mail' posted an interesting article on August 11, 2007. Here it is
Best wishes,
Stephany
Voyage of discovery
11 August 2007
(c) 2007 Hull Daily Mail
Hayley Westenra has been described as many things during her brief musical career. Labels like "prodigy", "angel-voiced", and "sensation", are littered about interviews and reviews like confetti at a wedding.
But perhaps the only word which truly sums up the 20-year-old singer is eclectic.
Over three albums she has recorded classical favourites, such as O Mio Bambino Caro and One Fine Day, alongside cover versions of songs by artists as diverse as Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell.
She has also turned her hand to folk music, recently touring the US and Canada with Celtic Woman - a five-piece Irish vocal and fiddle ensemble.
Her musical diversity is something she plans to bring with her when she performs at Beverley Minster later this month.
"Hopefully there will be something for everyone," she says. "I'm working with some incredibly talented musicians and we'll be taking people on a journey through different time periods and all around the world.
"I enjoy singing a variety of styles of music and I like to introduce people to things they might not have listened to before."
Having been brought up with musically-gifted grandparents, Hayley learned violin and piano and started busking in her hometown of Christchurch from a young age.
This bright, young New Zealander should be a PR executive's worst nightmare, prompting a furious struggle to find a target audience that will listen to a song from a West End musical followed by a rendition of Danny Boy.
But for Hayley, it is all part of a musical voyage of discovery. "It keeps me happy having variety," she says. "It's probably something to do with my age.
"I have been in the public eye since I was young, so where other people might have gone about their musical discovery on their own, I've had chance to explore avenues with other people.
"Music is all about being creative and trying out new things. I'm at the stage where I'm excited about exploring all different styles of music. I haven't settled down yet."
Indeed, settling down isn't something Hayley has had chance to do since being catapulted into the public eye at the tender age of 15.
Her first album, Pure, became the fastest-selling debut in the UK classical chart, stealing the record from Charlotte Church, and remains the biggest selling album of all time in her native country.
Since crashing on to the world stage in such a spectacular fashion, she has duetted with operatic giants Bryn Terfel and Jose Carreras and performed in prestigious venues across the world, including the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall.
Work is showing no sign of slowing down for Hayley. As well as her tour of the UK, she has just released her third album, Treasure, and has collaborated with other young artists on a recording of West Side Story to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bernstein's epic musical, where she sang the part of Maria.
"That was really fantastic to work on," she gushes. "In some ways it was like going back to my roots, because I started off performing in musicals when I was younger.
Given all the success she has enjoyed in a relatively short space of time, it might be tempting to expect a prima-donna attitude from the young songstress.
But Hayley is refreshingly down-to-earth, a virtue she attributes to the close relationship she has with her family back home in New Zealand.
"I'm always on the phone to them for at least an hour a day," she says, laughing. "They are the ones that will always be there for me. I'm very lucky to be part of such a close-knit family. They help me to stay grounded and are very honest."
It may seem that, at the tender age of 20, there isn't much Hayley hasn't done.
But her next project, running alongside the touring and the charity work, will add another string to her bow and sees the culmination of her work so far.
"I'm writing a book," she giggles. "It has been quite therapeutic in some respects. Once I started going back to the beginning of everything, I realised how much I've done over the past few years."
11 August 2007
(c) 2007 Hull Daily Mail
Hayley Westenra has been described as many things during her brief musical career. Labels like "prodigy", "angel-voiced", and "sensation", are littered about interviews and reviews like confetti at a wedding.
But perhaps the only word which truly sums up the 20-year-old singer is eclectic.
Over three albums she has recorded classical favourites, such as O Mio Bambino Caro and One Fine Day, alongside cover versions of songs by artists as diverse as Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell.
She has also turned her hand to folk music, recently touring the US and Canada with Celtic Woman - a five-piece Irish vocal and fiddle ensemble.
Her musical diversity is something she plans to bring with her when she performs at Beverley Minster later this month.
"Hopefully there will be something for everyone," she says. "I'm working with some incredibly talented musicians and we'll be taking people on a journey through different time periods and all around the world.
"I enjoy singing a variety of styles of music and I like to introduce people to things they might not have listened to before."
Having been brought up with musically-gifted grandparents, Hayley learned violin and piano and started busking in her hometown of Christchurch from a young age.
This bright, young New Zealander should be a PR executive's worst nightmare, prompting a furious struggle to find a target audience that will listen to a song from a West End musical followed by a rendition of Danny Boy.
But for Hayley, it is all part of a musical voyage of discovery. "It keeps me happy having variety," she says. "It's probably something to do with my age.
"I have been in the public eye since I was young, so where other people might have gone about their musical discovery on their own, I've had chance to explore avenues with other people.
"Music is all about being creative and trying out new things. I'm at the stage where I'm excited about exploring all different styles of music. I haven't settled down yet."
Indeed, settling down isn't something Hayley has had chance to do since being catapulted into the public eye at the tender age of 15.
Her first album, Pure, became the fastest-selling debut in the UK classical chart, stealing the record from Charlotte Church, and remains the biggest selling album of all time in her native country.
Since crashing on to the world stage in such a spectacular fashion, she has duetted with operatic giants Bryn Terfel and Jose Carreras and performed in prestigious venues across the world, including the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall.
Work is showing no sign of slowing down for Hayley. As well as her tour of the UK, she has just released her third album, Treasure, and has collaborated with other young artists on a recording of West Side Story to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bernstein's epic musical, where she sang the part of Maria.
"That was really fantastic to work on," she gushes. "In some ways it was like going back to my roots, because I started off performing in musicals when I was younger.
Given all the success she has enjoyed in a relatively short space of time, it might be tempting to expect a prima-donna attitude from the young songstress.
But Hayley is refreshingly down-to-earth, a virtue she attributes to the close relationship she has with her family back home in New Zealand.
"I'm always on the phone to them for at least an hour a day," she says, laughing. "They are the ones that will always be there for me. I'm very lucky to be part of such a close-knit family. They help me to stay grounded and are very honest."
It may seem that, at the tender age of 20, there isn't much Hayley hasn't done.
But her next project, running alongside the touring and the charity work, will add another string to her bow and sees the culmination of her work so far.
"I'm writing a book," she giggles. "It has been quite therapeutic in some respects. Once I started going back to the beginning of everything, I realised how much I've done over the past few years."
